Apr 19, 2013

Natashya of "Living in the Kitchen with Puppies" has chosen this absolutely delicious bread for the Bread Baking Babes rendezvous in April. The whole rainy afternoon my kitchen was filled with Spring scents, what raised my "happiness hormones".

This recipe
(created by D.W. and published on King Arthurs website) won the first-ever
National Festival of Breads. The bread filled with fresh basil, sun-dried
tomatoes, garlic powder, and shredded cheese has a wonderful soft texture and
is packed with flavor. The unique shape is not too difficult to achieve and makes an
impressive presentation.

The original recipe was made with

King Arthur unbleached bread flour, but I preferred to make the dough with spelt flour, whole spelt flour and ground flax seeds (btw: I have never seen King Arthur flours in Switzerland).

As I said this bread is absolutely delicious. We had it tonight with a colourful mixed salad and I can see myself baking it again and again, and even packing it in our picnic basket.Fiona, this bread is dedicated to you!

1 (8
1/2-ounce) (240 g) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (150 g of sun-dried tomatoes
– weighted after draining , as I did not know, how much oil and how much
tomatoes there are in a 240g jar. Does anybody know?)

1) Combine
the water, sugar, yeast, milk, olive oil, eggs, salt, and flour, and mix and
knead by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine until you've made a cohesive, soft
dough. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take 5 to 7 minutes at
second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps
sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a
smooth ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl, and turn to grease the top.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 45 minutes.
(1) Dissolve the Birnel (or honey) in the lukewarm water, add the yeast, mix well
and wait for it to foam, about 5 minutes.
In the bowl of your stand mixer sift together the spelt flours, then
add the ground flax seeds and mix.

In a small container combine the oil and the yoghurt, in a glass beat the eggs.
With the stand mixer dough hook turning on low add to the flours:
the yeast mixture, the milk, the beaten eggs and the oil-yoghurt mixture.
Knead on low for about 2-3 minutes, add the salt, increase the speed to medium
and go on kneading for about 10 minutes, until a smooth ball is formed.Cover the bowl (I did not grease it) and let rise in a warm place until double,
about 45 minutes).

2)
Meanwhile, thoroughly drain the sun-dried tomatoes; lay them on a paper towel
to absorb any excess oil. Using kitchen shears, finely chop the tomatoes.

3) Line two
baking sheets with parchment. Gently deflate the dough and divide it in half.
Roll one piece into a 22" x 8 1/2" (about 55 x 22 cm) rectangle.
Sprinkle on half the garlic, cheese, basil, and tomatoes.

4) Starting
with one long edge, roll the dough into a log the long way. Pinch the edges to
seal.

5) Place
the log seam-side down on a baking sheet. Using kitchen shears, start 1/2" (1.25 cm) from one end and cut the log lengthwise down the center about 1" (2.5 cm) deep, to within 1/2" (1.25 cm) of the other end.

6) Keeping
the cut side up, form an "S" shape. Tuck both ends under the center
of the "S" to form the number 8; pinch the ends
together to seal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, 45 to 60
minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough (I've formed the second loaf 30 minutes after the first as I did not want to bake them together).

7) While
the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). I've left in the oven a small heat-proof container filled with water during the preheating and baking time (in order to have some steam).

8) Bake the
first loaf for 35 to 40 minutes. Tent the loaf with foil after 15 to 20 minutes
to prevent over-browning. Bake the remaining loaf (I did not bake the second loaf with the first. I waited until the first was out of the oven).

9) Remove
loaves from their pans and cook on racks. Store any leftovers well-wrapped, at
room temperature.

I really like all the changes you made to the recipe! And the ring shape is fabulous.

I didn't really measure the filling ingredients at all and just put in the amount I thought seemed right. I refused to buy a jar of oiled sun-dried tomatoes. (Too expensive and who knows what kind of oil they use!) I got bulk sun-dried dry tomatoes and added a little olive oil to mimic that they were oiled. (Hmmm, maybe this is why the tomatoes wanted to burn. :-))

You are so right, Elizabeth,who knows what kind of oil they use (sweating and hurrying to my pantry to check: lucky me, sunflower oil! Hope its true!)I love your idea to "mimic" oiled sun-dried tomatoes ;-)Thank you for visiting and commenting.PS: Not so sure that the ring shape is fabulous :-)

Hi Carola! I baked along with the buddies this month and I too had raised happiness hormones making this bread. Your loaf is a stunner and I love that you added ground flax seeds. Very healthy of you! Nicely done!!!Renee - Kudos Kitchen